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Christmas card shows up in mailbox decades after it was mailed

Lisa Sherwood's family has changed a lot since their 2002 Christmas card photo.

WACONIA, Minn. — We drop our cards and letters in the mailbox, just assuming they’ll reach their destinations.

Such was Lisa Sherwood’s assumption, until she opened her mailbox three weeks ago.

“This is the Christmas card I sent to my friend back in 2002,” says Lisa, pointing to an off-white envelope. 

Strange as it seemed, the card Lisa had mailed from her home in Waconia to a high school friend in Bloomington more than two decades ago, was back in her mailbox, unopened and marked “RETURN TO SENDER.” 

A 37-cent stamp was affixed to the envelope.

The postmark was dated Dec. 6, 2002.

“I know it made it as far as Minneapolis because that’s where it’s postmarked,” Lisa says. “Where it went after that, who knows?”

Credit: Chad Nelson/KARE
Lisa Sherwood’s 2002 Christmas card arrived back in her mailbox in March, marked “RETURN TO SENDER.”

Where the card didn’t go is to the intended recipient, Tracy Logelin, who was living in an apartment on Nicollet Avenue when Lisa mailed the card.

“We’ve been exchanging Christmas cards since high school,” Tracy says. 

Tracy produces a stack of Sherwood family photo cards she's saved over the years. It never occurred to her that one was missing.

“I didn’t even think anything of it," she says. "I just assumed that was a year she didn’t send Christmas cards."

Nor did Lisa have any reason to think the card hadn't reached its destination.

Credit: Chad Nelson/KARE
Lisa Sherwood’s returned Christmas card was postmarked Dec. 6, 2002.

After inspecting the outside, she opened the returned envelope to find a picture card of her young family inside.

“The kids were 3 and 6,” Lisa says.  

Lisa's son Connor is 24 now and lives with friends in Edina.

Her daughter Madison is 27.

“My daughter’s been married four years and lives in Sweden with her husband,” Lisa says. “I didn’t have gray hair back then." 

Lisa laughs, then adds, "My husband had more hair back then.”  

Both women speculate the card spent the past two decades lost at the post office, possibly between cabinets or inside a sorting machine.

Credit: Chad Nelson/KARE
The Sherwood family has changed a lot since their Christmas card photo was taken in 2002.

But Desai Abdul-Razzaaq, a Minneapolis Post Office spokesperson, is doubtful of that theory.  

“What we typically find is that old letters and postcards – sometimes purchased at flea markets, antique shops and even online – are re-entered into our system,” Desai says.  

Credit: Chad Nelson/KARE
Tracy Logelin, the intended recipient of the long-missing Christmas card, spoke with KARE 11 by Zoom from her current home in Arizona.

One thing is certain, the newly found card wasn’t about to be forwarded to Tracy.

“I figured out that it was actually six addresses ago that I lived in that apartment,” she says.

Tracy lives in Arizona now.

“No way they were going to find me,” Tracy says, “and no way they were even going to try.”

Call it a mailbox mystery – that’s doubled as a new connection between two old friends.

“I actually am going to ask Lisa if she’ll resend me the card, so I have it in my stack,” Tracy says.

Credit: Chad Nelson/KARE
Lisa Sherwood holds the Christmas card envelope that showed up in her mailbox more than two decades after she mailed it.

The wayward Christmas card may not be done traveling.   

“I guess that’s what I’m doing then,” Lisa says.

Boyd Huppert is always looking for great stories to share in the Land of 10,000 Stories! Send us your suggestions by filling out this form.

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